Description
Book SynopsisFilm comedy has been around as long as cinema itself. Over the years, particular forms of the genre have emerged, evolved, and spawned other branches of comedy. While these subgenres may vary in their approach to humor, all of them have the same goal: amusing audiences. In Reeling with Laughter: American Film ComediesFrom Anarchy to Mockumentary, Michael V. Tueth examines some of the most enjoyable comic movies of all time. Beginning with the anarchic romp Duck Soup (1933), each chapter explores a specific subgenre through a representative film. Along with the Marx Brothers' classic, other subgenres discussed in this volume include romantic comedy (It Happened One Night), screwball comedy (Bringing Up Baby and What's Up, Doc?), musical comedy (Singin' in the Rain), sex farce (Some Like It Hot), satire (Dr. Strangelove), parody (Young Frankenstein), neurotic comedy (Annie Hall), Dionysian comedy (Animal House), mockumentary (Waiting for Guffman), and animated comedy (South Park: Bigger,
Trade ReviewTueth (communication and media studies, Fordham Univ.) analyzes 12 US comedies as representative of 11 genres. Duck Soup is clearly anarchic comedy; It Happened One Night, romantic; Singin' in the Rain, musical; Some Like It Hot, sex farce; Dr. Strangelove, satire; Young Frankenstein, parody; Annie Hall, neurotic; Animal House, Dionysian; Waiting for Guffman, mockumentary; and South Park, feature animation. For screwball, Bringing Up Baby is joined by its undervalued remake, What's Up, Doc?. Each chapter provides an excellent introduction to its film(s). The author nods to the literary antecedents, chats about production details, cites other critics effectively, and moves easily between the film's general significance and close readings of important scenes. With all the quoted jokes and recollections, this makes for a delightful read, especially as Tueth prefers the subject texts over any imported theory. This excellent book would be valuable as a textbook and a solid basis for more extensive explorations of less examined genres (neurotic, Dionysian, mockumentary, and animation). Summing Up: Highly recommended. * CHOICE *
This is an important work for film buffs that will probably be most used in the circulating collection. * American Reference Books Annual *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chapter One: Anarchic Comedy: Duck Soup Chapter Two: Romantic Comedy: It Happened One Night Chapter Three: Screwball Comedy: Bringing Up Baby and What's Up, Doc? Chapter Four: Musical Comedy: Singin' in the Rain Chapter Five: Sex Farce: Some Like It Hot Chapter Six: Satire: Dr. Strangelove Chapter Seven: Parody: Young Frankenstein Chapter Eight: Neurotic Comedy: Annie Hall Chapter Nine: Dionysian Comedy: Animal House Chapter Ten: Mockumentary: Waiting for Guffman Chapter Eleven: Animated: South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut Bibliography Index About the Author
